Brake for velocipedes and other road-vehicles.



No. 807,409. PATENTED DEC. 12, 1905.

T. WHITAKER.

BRAKE FOR VELOOIPEDBS AND OTHER ROAD VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.21.1902.

rrnn STATES PATENT orrion.

THOMAS WHITAKER, OF OHEADLE HULME, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOTHOMAS SLACK, OF STOCKPORT, ENGLAND.

BRAKE FOR VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER ROAD-VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Application filed August 21, 1902 Serial No. 120,600.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS WHITAKER, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Oheadle Hulme, in the county of Chester, England,(whose post-office address is 28 Ack Lane, Oheadle Hulme aforesaid,)have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Brakes forvelocipedes and other Road-Vehicles, (for which I have made applicationfor patent in Great Britain, N 0. 3,954, dated February 17, 1902,) ofwhich the following is a specification.

In brakes constructed in accordance with this invention for themechanism between the lever or other operating device and the brakeblockor equivalent mechanism I employ an inexpansible flexible tube orchannel of such convenient shape that it will contain an incompressiblebut extensible flexible body of metal or other suitable material. Theinside incompressible flexible body is so constructed that it will(lubricated, if desirable) slide along the inside of the tube when thesame is straight or bent. The outer inexpansible tube acts as a guide tothe incompressible flexible body inside it. Power is transmitted to thebrakeblocks or their equivalents by the outer tube 01' channel beingconveniently held, (preferably at both ends,) and the operating-lever orother device being so arranged that it will act by pressureon one end ofthe inner incompressible but extensible flexible body and by setting upa sliding movement of the inner body will actuate the brake-blockmechanism or its equivalent at the other end of this inner body. Thebrake mechanism to be operated by this form of transmitting connectionmay be adapted to act on the tire of the wheel, on a drum on thewheel-axle, on the rim of the wheel, or any other suitable place on avelocipede or other road-vehicle, or the transmitting mechanism may bemade to operate two or more brakes simultaneously. I

attain these objects by the mechanism illus- Fig. 2 is partly an ele-'oted on a bracket 9, secured to the handlebarf.

The transmitting mechanism consists of the inexpansibleinextensibleflexible tube it, which is made flexible by being constructed of wovenwire or any other convenient means. The said inexpansible inextensibleflexible tube may consist of a number of strands it, interwoven by awire of about half the thickness of the said strands, as shown in Figs.2 and 3. The interior of the said tube may be lined with segmentalbushes 7t" to prevent the inner body k Wearing the tube and at the sametime add to its inextensibility. This tube is held by suitable bracketsg and Z and contains an inner body it, consisting of balls or segmentsof metal or other incompressible substance in close contact, or in placeof the balls or segments a spiral-wound wire with the spirals in closecontact may be used. One end of the inner body it consists of asuitably-shaped rod 0, arranged to slide in the flexible tube and toprotrude from it. This rod 0 is connected to the brake mechanism whichit puts on when the plunger 6 is pressed against the other end of theinnerbodyk. The brake mechanism is brought off by means of a spring orsprings when the plunger is 5 released. In the drawings the rod 0 isshown connected to a horseshoe-shaped piece d at the one end and has theother end resting on the inner body 70. The horseshoe d encircles therim of the wheel and has friction-blockscattached to it, which whenlifted press on the rim of the Wheel at either side. There is a spring mon either side of the wheel to release the brake and a clip 0 to fixeach spring on.

The power is transmitted from the hand-lever a by means of the rod orplunger 6, which presses on the inner body 71" and causes it to slidealong the inside of the tube it, thus lifting the horseshoe (Z by therod 0 and causing the blocks 0 to press on the rim of the wheel ateither side.

I may remark that the construction of the guide-tube itself is old, andtherefore do not claim such broadly; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a back brake for velocipedes and other Vehicles, a tube at the sideof the vehicleframe, constructed of Woven wire and one end of which issecured to the handle-bar and the other to the back fork, a series oflongitudinally-movable incompressible balls in the said tube, the saidtube being inexpansible to resist the lateral pressure of the said ballsand flexible to accommodate itself in steering to the various positionsof the handle-bar, a plunger in one and a sliding rod connected With theback brake in the other end of the said tube bearing against therespective ends of the said ball series and means for operating the saidplunger and thereby exert pres- I sure upon the said balls, all combinedsub stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of tWoWitnesses.

THOMAS WHITAKER.

Witnesses:

ALFRED BOSSHARDT, STANLEY E. BRAINALL.

